Keep Your Enemies Closer
by Ishbu girl
Summary: 25 years after the defeat of the Dark Lord, the new generation must face a war of its own.  Friend's shall become enemies, and enemies shall become allies.  And the question remains: who can you trust?


Keep Your Enemies Closer

Crickets played their lullabic tunes as dusk spread across the English countryside in hues of red and gold. Unbeknownst to many, festivities were being prepared at a nearby manor.

Shouts of fear and delight reverberated throughout the garden and house as a case of Wildfire Whiz- bangs was set off, most likely by the elder son, who had been planning to use his collection to add a bit of "life" to his father's birthday party.

Lily screamed and made a dash for the house, barely jumping out of the way of a snitch sized floating firecracker. The hem of her dress was caught ablaze as the dastardly object of destruction came chasing back after her, only managing to catch her skirt.

Exasperated, she flung herself behind the shelter of a tall hedge, taking comfort in the cool of the shade. She could hear her brothers' and cousins' taunting laughter, and willfully chose to ignore the sound.

In the distance her mother yelled profanities as she tried to stop the crazed fireworks from doing too much damage. From the noises Lily overheard, her mother's efforts were apparently futile.

Guests were beginning to arrive, the popping sound of them apparating snapping like a whip through the night. Crawling onto her knees, Lily managed to peek over the top of the hedge without being seen. Witches and wizards began filling the garden, laughing and chatting animatedly, most of which she knew, some vaguely familiar.

She continued to observe the newcomers, fascinated with their conversations that they assumed were private. Pushing the dark red hair from her eyes, she squinted, trying to make out the exact words which fell from the Minster's lips. However, Kingsley Shacklebox had long mastered the skill of speaking without moving his lips. Frustrated with her lack of obtained news, Lily crawled to her feet, staggering slightly as she trampled her way through the bushes.

At some point in her trek from her hiding spot to where a majority of the party stood, her father had appeared and the party had truly begun. Cheers and loud rumbles of laughter filled the night air with a warm comforting feeling. She watched as the adults grew more ridiculous with their consumption of firewhiskey, her older brothers consumed completely with a body racking fit of giggles.

She studied her two siblings as they hunched close together, comparing their appearances as she had so many nights before. James, the oldest, was a spitting image of their father, despite his eyes, which were their mother's warm brown. Albus could have been his twin, though lacking a year in age and maturity. He had been the only one of the three children to inherit their father's striking green eyes, and yet neither boy wore a hair of red on their head, despite the overflow of auburn genetics running through their veins.

Both laughed childishly as they took turns transforming a slug into different shapes and species. Since both were of age or older, Ginny had turned a blind eye on their use of unnecessary magic. However, their cousin Rose Weasley, who sat proudly beside Lily, straightened up in her chair and began a pointless, though longwinded, speech on the comparison of male and female mentality. Lily rolled her eyes and ignored her, understanding fully that her prudish nature was exactly what put her on the throne of Head Girl for the upcoming semester at Hogwarts.

A sigh escaped her lips, and she turned to face Hugo, who sat on her other side. He was only a few months younger than his sister, Rose, and a whole year ahead of Lily at Hogwarts, which he found amusing to rub in her face at any available moment.

The night drifted on, and guests began to leave one by one, their absence dampening the mood of the party, until finally her parents called it a night and they all trampled up the stairs to bed.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXX 

" Ooh, look at this one, Rosie. It would so bring out your eyes." Lily muttered excitedly. Amazingly, Rose heard her comment over the blare of the music. Both girls were sprawled out in odd, but comfortable positions on Rose's bed. It was one of those stormy days where nothing could get accomplished, nor boredom quenched throughout the stretch of the hours.

Hugo and Albus sat in the windowsill, watching mournfully as the rain fell in torrents upon the flooded grounds outside. And though the boys, who were on their thirteenth round of rummy, declared that they cared nothing of dress for the Yule ball, they never failed to make crude or sheepish remarks whenever the moment was best.

Rose adjusted her position on the mattress to better view the magazine that lay open before Lily. Her face contorted in pleasure and fascination as her eyes wandered over the page.

" Yeah, you're right. I do like that one best. Pity it's sleeveless though. I don't have enough of a chest to hold that dress up."

" Ah, don't worry about that. Just use a mild sticking charm for safety. It'll come right off once you use the anticharm at the end of the night."

Suddenly a loud crack erupted outside of Rose's door, startling every member out of their reverie and into a state of paranoia. Quickly, Rose and Albus both drew their wands, anticipating the moment of imagined attack.

Slowly, almost painfully, the bedroom door began to creak open, adding no revelation to what creature lay on the other side. Very smoothly, four fingertips appeared, moving gently over the fading paint of the wooden door, soon revealing a gold wedding band upon the ring finger of its owner.

" Mum?" Rose spoke in relief. Lily released the breath she had been holding, her lungs grateful for the replenishment of oxygen. Hermione stuck her head in the room, a sheepish look covering her face. She leaned heavily against the doorframe of the bedroom, her whole body seeming to relax at once, as though she were a child finally realizing the bogeyman doesn't exist.

" Hello, children. How has your day been?" She spoke almost breathlessly, a hint of relief hidden in her voice.

" Sucky." Hugo answered before turning back to the game of cards. Rose raised a curious eyebrow in her mother's direction before clearing her throat.

" Mum, what are you doing home so early?"

" And why are you lurking around in the hallway, Aunt Hermione?" Lily questioned in wonderment.

" Well, I got off early and decided to see what you girls were up to. Wanted to know if you needed anything."

" No, we're fine, Mum." Rose answered awkwardly. Hermione nodded, seeming rather flustered by the chain of events.

" Well then, I'll just go and start dinner. Have fun."

They watched as she scurried off and out of sight before daring to speak.

" Well…that was interesting." Albus spoke after a few moments.

" Weird is more like it. I don't think I've ever seen her lose her cool like that." Lily retorted, looking questioningly at the older girl.

Rose shook her head, causing coppery strands of hair to sneak loose from her plait.

" No, I've never seen her like that either. Something's wrong."

Hugo and Albus both looked up at the same time, their eyes flashing disbelief.

" Don't jump to the worst conclusions, Rosie. You don't know that something's wrong. She probably just had a rough day at work or something." Albus met her gaze with his own penetrating green star as he spoke, his words taking effect like a soothing poison, killing any ounce of worry that lay in her breast.

Rose bit her lip and nodded, brushing her hair out of her blue eyes. Lily, however, did not feel any better, only anxious by the oddities taking place around her. Carefully, she raised her gaze to meet Hugo's, who had the same colouring of disbelief etched across his tense features. She slightly tapped her forefinger against her lips and motioned towards the door. He nodded in understanding and turned back to the game at hand.

Stretching, Lily hopped off of the bed and landed rather ungracefully on to her feet.

" I'm going to go find some of those cookies Grandma brought the other day to lunch. Hugo, you remember where your mum stored them, right?"

Taking this as his cue, he slowly drew himself to his feet and grunted in answer, following her out of the room.

" You think something's up, don't you?" His hushed voice echoed eerily throughout the barren halls, his expression hidden by shadow.

" Of course. Don't you?"

Hugo examined her warily, weighing his answer before deciding to speak. Lily sighed, turning away from him, tired of constantly being treated like a child.

" Well it does seem strange, but…"

She could hear the contradiction in his voice; the childish naivety that believed ignorance could make the problems disappear.

" But what?" She barked out, perhaps a little to harshly for the matter of conversation. Hugo flinched slightly at her tone, but continued.

" But perhaps we should not jump to any drastic conclusions until we have more proof. After all, we just guessed that something was out of sort. Mum might've just seen a dead cat on the side of the street or something. We just…we cannot assume anything without further proof, alright?"

Lily nodded slowly, her gaze glued to the floor. Softly she smiled, ready to change the subject.

" Alright. Now how about those cookies, eh." She offered him her hand, a gesture made habit since they were children. Puffing up his cheeks, he blew up at the long strands of bangs that hung over face before rolling his eyes and grabbing her outstretched hand.

" Alright, then. But we'll have to hide them away for later. Whatever Mum is making smells really good, and I honestly don't feel like sharing the goods with Rose."

A heartfelt giggle escaped her lips and she leaned against him affectionately.

" Whatever you wish, darling. Whatever you wish."

However, as they drew closer to the kitchen door, their steps halted as voices rose to meet their curious ears.

" Hermione, the children!?"

" Calm down, Ronald. They're fine. I've already been up to check on them. They're clueless for now, but you and I both know that they won't be for long. They're far too intelligent to be left in the dark."

"I know. I know! But what can we do? It's far too pointless to worry them if we're not even sure if the matter is serious."

" Serious. Serious! Oh, of course, because death is never _serious_!"

" You know what I mean. He could have been done in by any lune who decided it would be cool to off the Minister of Magic. So until we are perfectly sure of what exact kind of attribute he was murdered for, it is best to keep our heads and to keep quiet."

Lily, regaining her composure after the shocking news of Kingsley Shacklebox's death, turned slowly and gazed up into the bewildered and horrified face of her cousin.

" Still think nothing is the matter?"

Hugo just stared at her wordlessly, not even bothering to follow after her as she exited the room.

**A/N: I do hope you enjoy! Im never very good at starting these things, or so I feel. Plus I have gotten into the habit of writing in first person, so this is a bit new for me once again. Um, I pretty much have this whole story though out, so I will most likely update quickly for this. As for My Immortal, well, Im having a bit of writers block with that one. I have set up a Myspace account for fanfiction. The link is on my profile. Come and check it out and be my friend. Lol. **


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